After All This Time
by TenRose4ever
Summary: She laughed her beautiful laugh that never failed to make him laugh too. And when her tongue poked out at the side of her mouth, he felt his insides turn to very manly goo, as they always had at the sight of that smile. "So, no regrets, then?" She dropped her eyes in sudden insecurity, and he felt a nervous little tug at their bond.


**For 10/2. I have another one in the works, but the ending is giving me fits. It'll be late coming.**

 **This little story is actually the epilogue of the very first story in my** ** _These Two Hearts_** **series, called** ** _Regrets, Repentance, and Promises_** **. That longer tale, a post GitF story (hence the references to France in this tale), has yet to be completed and posted. There's a chapter or two left that just won't get written… not yet, and another chapter or two I'm just not sure about. But I love this little epilogue. It takes place years after the rest of that story ends. There are references to things that took place in the longer story, but I don't think they really need any explanation. Just one note: the promise "…to hold [Rose] forever…" was originally made by the Time Lord in the aftermath of the Idiot's Lantern adventure.**

 **If you are familiar with my little Pete's World family, the Doctor and Rose's children mentioned here (nameless) are Hope, Charlie, and Wilfred.**

 ** _Impulsive_** **, also part of my** ** _These Two Hearts_** **series, is also a chapter (NSFW) from the longer story. If I keep doing this, eventually the whole story will be posted, piecemeal! LOL I guess that's one way to do it!**

 **Happy 10/2!**

* * *

 **After All This Time**

Rose and the Doctor sat, curled together on the sofa in the TARDIS' console room, rejoicing in the activity whirling around them, the soft murmur of voices speaking in a mix of Gallifreyan and English. They gazed into one another's eyes and the Doctor reached up and stroked Rose's cheek, suddenly overcome with gratitude. "You're so beautiful Rose. Thank-you for giving me all of this. For so long I never believed I could ever have this, that it wouldn't be possible. I never could have imagined that forever could be this good." He had long-since renounced his hesitation in expressing his feelings.

"Yeah? Don't know that you deserve it though." She smirked, allowing her love for him to shine in her eyes and flare through their bond.

"Oi!" he admonished, leaning in and giving her a kiss, which she returned with fervour.

"Yeeuck! Would you two get a room?" Their son's voice caused them to start giggling and they deepened their embrace in response. "There _are_ children here, you know!"

Rose broke away from the kiss, ignoring the pout on her husband's face. "Oh, I think it's time we turned in anyway. You lot have the old girl well in hand."

"Gran! Gran!" A little voice piped up from the other side of the console. A bouncing little blond head came rushing toward them. "Where do you want to go for our adventure tomorrow? Oh, where do you want to go?" the little girl babbled. "There's this amaaaazing planet that Mummy and Daddy took us to once where the dominant life forms look like they're made of bubble-gum bubbles; or, weeeell, we could go to Datrooloon-Turg and explore around the crystal caves there. Did you know that they're made from a special mineral that glows when–"

"Sweetheart," Rose cut the little girl off, having become very adept at that particular practice over the years, "you choose the adventure and we will be happy to share it with you. For now, we'll say goodnight, 'kay?"

The little girl flashed a manic grin so reminiscent of the Doctor Rose could hardly supress a chuckle, and pulled her in for a hug.

Upon being released, the little girl cried, "Oi, you lot! Gran and Granddad are going to bed."

"Urrgh, she sounds just like your mother," the Doctor groaned under his breath.

"Shut up, you," Rose growled good-naturedly. "She mostly sounds like _you_ with her non-stop, little gob and her encyclopaedic knowledge of everythin'. But they all got a bit of that, didn't they? Just to drive me spare…"

Soon they were surrounded by six loving sets of arms, their grandchildren, eager to wish their grandparents goodnight. The youngest, the only ginger one in the family, was delivered to their arms by his mum, their oldest child.

-oOo-

The next morning, the Doctor woke up as he had once only longed for: with his arms wrapped around his Rose, breathing in her sleepy scent, her once-golden hair tickling his nose, experiencing the peace and calm only she could provide. He pressed a kiss against her cheek. "Ready for a great adventure today, my love?" he huffed.

"Doctor?" She turned in his arms, stroking the silver hair by his temples, touching his mind with gentle caresses. "Do you remember you once told me, if the thrill of adventure ever became too much for me you would be happy just to hold me forever?"

He felt tears sparkling in his eyes. "I meant it."

"I think… I think it's time."

"For me, too, love. This body just keeps getting older. I would be very content to hold you forever."

"We've had a fantastic life, haven't we? Years of adventures. Three amazin' children. Six grandchildren, so far, and every one of them brilliant and brave. And our TARDIS! She speaks to all of them the way she speaks to us."

"She'll look after countless generations of our progeny, Rose," he crowed enthusiastically. "Defenders of the Universe, all of them! The Stuff of Legend! Ha!"

She laughed her beautiful laugh that never failed to make him laugh too. And when her tongue poked out at the side of her mouth, he felt his insides turn to very manly goo, as they always had at the sight of that smile. "So, no regrets, then?" She dropped her eyes in sudden insecurity, and he felt a nervous little tug at their bond.

"Never! This is a brilliant adventure! And all because I get to share it with you. I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

With a sober expression she asked, "Do you think _he_ 's okay?"

The Doctor didn't need to ask whom she referred to, although she hadn't openly voiced her concern for years. "He's all right. He has the TARDIS: same old life; last of the Time Lords. And he'll always have your love, and he'll return it forever."

She nodded. "Do you think he'd be happy knowing what we've created here?"

"Rose," he assured her, "he would be so proud of you. He loves you more than life itself, always will. He gave willingly the _one_ thing that anchored him, that gave him peace… to _me_ , so that you could have a life you _truly_ deserved. Oh, he knew you would've been happy travelling the stars with him forever, but he also knew that _this_ life would fulfil you in different ways. He knew it would make you happy in the end. And, oh Rose, what a gift you have been to me. You always were, of course."

"It was so hard to accept, at first: you… him… both of you… makin' those decisions for me without consultin' me… after everythin'. God, do you remember how abominably I treated you those first few weeks?" She tucked her head against his shoulder in embarrassment.

"How could I forget?" he laughed. "But I always understood, love. And I had promised him I would never give up on you, on us. Just the way you told me… him, the day we bonded. Remember? ' _If two people really care about one another, they find a way to make it work_.'"

"You promised him…? You never told me that! All these years, and you never told me that." She frowned.

"Rose, please just know that you are the most-loved woman in two universes. No one else can say that." He cupped her cheek. "I love you; he loves you; but we never deserved you."

"Oh, I think you did. How could I ever have asked for more? You, all of space and time… I wouldn't have changed a thing."

"So, does that mean…? Rose, have you ever forgiven me?" He rubbed self-consciously at the back of his neck.

"Forgiven you? What–"

"France... Abandoning you… the hell I put you through."

"Doctor," he saw confusion cloud her expression, "have you been carrying that around with you _all these years_? You've kept this hidden from me. Why have you not shared this with me?"

He found himself unable to meet her eyes, sensing her hurt. "I had hoped, but… weeeell…" he tugged at his ear, "…I suppose I felt I didn't deserve to have that peace, after everything I've done in my life, not to mention after everything I put _you_ through. And it was a constant reminder I needed to show you how much I love you– that you deserved to know that– every _single_ day of your forever."

Tears welled in her eyes, and her lips trembled as she considered his confession. Then a sudden look of horror crossed her face. "Has _he_ been worried about this too? And he'll never know how much I love him and forgive him, and how much you… he… means to me. Doctor, I've long since…"

"He'll be alright, really, love. He knows how much you love him, trust me. Rose, please don't cry. He _knows_. You once travelled recklessly across dimensions to get back to him… me, after all."

"Well, I _was_ also trying to save the multiverse…" She rolled her eyes at him.

"Anyway, he'll feel a bit absolved. After all, he…"

"He sacrificed his own happiness for us. That's w'at you mean, yeah."

He nodded. "I won't lie, Rose. It won't have been easy for him. But through the bond, he'll have that little bit of you with him always: your undying love."

"Yes, oh, yes, he has _that!_ And… I s'ppose, this way, he'll never have to watch me wither and…" She released her breath in a rush of relief, and gave him a watery smile. After a moment's reflection, she whacked him in the arm. "You daft git! After all this time!"

He chuckled and breathed a sigh as he looked into her sparkling eyes. "Remind me again: how long are you going to stay with me?"

"Forever," she whispered. She pressed her fingers to his temples, and he responded in kind, tenderly touching the tendrils of their bond, sharing their love: mind, body, and soul, as they had done now for so many years.


End file.
